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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. tear — from crying
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. key — for a lock
  5. tear — from crying
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. staff — a stick
  8. chest — a box
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. tear — to rip
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. staff — employees
  16. deal — to handle
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. key — in music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. key — the most important part
  21. staff — employees
  22. bat — the animal
  23. toast — bread
  24. bat — for baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com